


Colour

by athena4lynn



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, F/M, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 16:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12891765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athena4lynn/pseuds/athena4lynn
Summary: Clint comes home post-New York.





	Colour

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the December 1, 2017 prompt for the Clintasha Advent over on tumblr ('Colour') but I haven't tagged it to that collection due to its lack of actual Clintasha.

The night Natasha brought Clint home, after New York, they repainted Cooper’s room. Pale blue walls, unfaded since his birth seven years before, became slate grey; his closet door carefully decorate with birds and forest animals in Natasha’s delicate hand. 

They worked through the night, and Laura found them at dawn, curled on Cooper’s tarp-covered bed, Clint’s head pillowed against Natasha’s chest, her hand stroking through his hair.

“Is he all right?” she asked, then wrinkled her nose at the stupidity of the question. She shook her head before Natasha could answer, lowering herself to the edge of the bed. She reached her hand out then, curling her fingers around Clint’s. He didn’t wake, but his hand clenched on hers, tighter than was truly comfortable. It felt like a lifeline.

Natasha’s hand stilled. “He will be. He’ll need some time.” She paused, resuming her stroking in response to Clint twitching in his sleep. “What did Fury tell you?”

“Not enough,” Laura whispered, looking around at the freshly painted walls, then down at her husband’s pale face and dark rimmed eyes. “Not nearly enough.”

For a long moment they were both silent, listening to him breathe, and watching his lids flutter in REM sleep. It was Natasha who finally broke, reaching out to tilt Laura’s face up towards hers. “I’m here as long as you need me,” she said quietly. “As long as _either_ of you need me. Do you understand?”

Laura nodded, biting her lip to stop tears from falling; knowing she failed when she felt Natasha’s thumb brush moisture away from her cheek. With a soft smile, Natasha dropped her hand, tugging at Laura’s to pull her closer. “Come here,” she whispered, starting to untangle herself from Clint’s grip. “He’ll be out for a while. Let me take the kids for a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Laura asked, but she was already moving; letting Natasha get off the bed, and crawling into it herself, pulling Clint into her arms. He fussed for a moment, but didn’t wake, the hand he had clenched around hers now fisting in her shirt. “Natasha?” The younger woman turned, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Thank you for bringing him home to us.”

For a moment, something unreadable crossed Natasha’s face before it became carefully blank. Stepping back into the room, she kissed the top of Clint’s head, and then Laura’s forehead before moving toward the door again. “You’re welcome.”


End file.
